The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
What is it like to be a wallflower? For Charlie, the socially awkward freshman student, being a wallflower means something, more of an identity to him and being a wallflower has its own strengths and weaknesses.
Stephen Chbosky explores life in this really different and brand new experience. An epistolary, The Perks of Being a Wallflower reminds readers the importance of true friendship, family and the true meaning of love without any label.
Charlie is a wallflower. He’s a really gifted kid, however, fitting in as a freshman seems to be hard, especially that his best friend just committed suicide prior to the events of the book. He explores the different aspects of life, love and even drugs, sex and homosexuality through various experiences and literary allusions from movies, plays and music albums. Together with his new bestfriends, Sam and Patrick, Charlie will be able to experience the most out of being a wallflower.
When I was reading the book, I found it weird at first. The character of Charlie seems to be really weird and sometimes, I can’t picture the things he is doing like randomly crying or really reading a book more than enough and more things like that. However, I simply can’t put the book down. There’s something in Stephen’s words that allowed me to really immerse into every chapters. It is a fun read and you’ll simply live how Stephen manufactured this great story.
For those people who loves reading, you can’t just simply miss this book.
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
What is it like to catch a star? Nearly impossible but not completely impossible. At least for Tristran Thorn, the main protagonist of the book. And because the love of his life is in stake for this, he’ll do anything just to get back the fallen star. Written by acclaimed author, Neil Gaiman, Stardust will bring fantasy to everyone’s heart in a way so unique and amazing.
Tristran Thorn is courting Victoria Forester. And when she asked for the fallen star in exchange for her yes, Tristran had no doubts. What’s interesting about this book is how this journey will transform Tristran’s life. Aside from the fallen star that Tristran will meet, he’ll be able to meet the ghosts of the murdered sons of a legendary king and even three evil witches who hunt, too, for the star.
I enjoyed how Neil Gaiman has put all the twists and plot in the book. You can notice how short the novel was but you’ll be amazed to find that the subplots of the book, including the witches, the pirates and the murdered sons, are all connected. What I enjoyed the most probably was the ending – how everything got connected and how every conflict got fixed.
Stardust is one magnificent work of art. And though full of fantasy and mystery, an adult would surely enjoy it too as it tells a story similar to what is happening to the society. An epic work of art and really a must-read.
That Little Place in the Corner
I never thought it’s going to be like that. The construction of the site started like when I was in 1st year college and I couldn’t comprehend the future of the said site. A year after, a structure has been emerging slowly. When I first saw the signs, my heart jumped. I saw the cream wallpaper, the glass wall and the dark brown shelves wrapped in cling wrap or something similar. That moment, I knew instantly what it was. It was 8:30 in the morning when I woke up. My class starts at 8:30, as well. That was …
I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
What is it like to be an alien? And what is it like to be hunted down by killers who will do anything just to get a grip of your throat? This new genre by Pittacus Lore (a pseudonym) tells us more about how feasible it is to have life outside our planet and how it’s fictionally realistic to have aliens living among us.
Written in the perspective of Number 4, an alien, the book covers how Number 4 managed to survive and hide for years in Earth and how he is being hunted down for being the next victim-in-line. The surviving aliens were numbered from 1 to 9 and the only way to kill them is to kill them in order. Number 1, 2 and 3 are already dead. Number 4 is next. Adding to the intriguing story plot is the character development of Number 4 and the people around him. Will he be ready to face his enemies? Will he be ready to sacrifice everything for his race’s safety, including the girl he loves? Is he ready to be human?
The book was an easy-to-read one and it has an interesting plot which is still kept simple. And the alien theories that the author had managed to incorporate in the story will really make you feel like it’s really true and scientific. One point for James Frey (real name of the author) for that. These include how the crop circles were formed or even how legendary people from the past became associated with aliens.
There were no boring parts in the book. From the beginning ’til the end where everyone’s fighting with super powers and stuff, I really enjoyed how I felt the action and how I felt the story creeping in to me. Every paragraph was worth reading and every bits were related and important. Over-all: the book is an A+ for a SciFi fan. The formula of the story is unique and comprehensible.
The film version of the book stars Alex Pettyfer and Dianna Agron.
The Devil and Miss Prym by Paulo Coelho
When Adam and Eve was sent off by God from the Garden of Eden for disobeying Him, was it really the right thing? If He didn’t want them to eat the fruit from the tree then why put it there in the first place? What is really good and evil? Are people really/naturally bad? — these are the few of the questions that the book The Devil and Miss Prym tried asking the readers, and tried answering.
The Devil and Miss Prym is a book of Good vs Evil. It is not, though, the generic good fights over evil then good wins. It’s more than that. There’s some sort of a puzzle in which you have to understand first: what is good and what is evil? It’s a story of temptation and trust. It’s a story of Faith.
When a stranger arrived at Chantal Prym’s village, she was tempted to fulfill her dream of escaping from the village’s poverty. The stranger, someone with vengeance, challenged the people of the village by offering them gold bars in exchange for a murder. The villagers must murder one member of the village and the stranger will give them the location of the gold bars. Only Chantal and the stranger know where the gold bars are. It is now a battle between good and evil. Will the villagers resist the temptation of killing someone for gold? Or will Chantal resist the temptation of getting the gold bars by herself and let her people kill each other without gain in the end? Or what is it really mean to be good or bad?
I love how this book tackled a very confusing topic: good and evil. It let me open up to ideas that what you see is not always what you get. It is evil, yes, but, is it really evil or can we say that the end will justify its means? And if one’s good, is it really good? Aside from the message that Coelho had successfully relayed, I enjoyed how the story went on. It’s one of those stories that you would want to continue reading for hours. There’s this unique thrill and excitement in every chapter and every moment is worthy of my time.
One of the drawbacks of reading a Coelho book is getting bored when sometimes, a story just goes on plainly. Fortunately, The Devil and Miss Prym isn’t one of the typical Coelho books. It’s exciting, thrilling and an over-all magnificent work of art. A must-read!
Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho
Who would have thought that someone is capable of giving up? Because that someone is just too happy and had had enough? Veronika Decides to Die is a book of revelations and new perspectives. It has been a very intriguing book.
Veronika is a very successful young lady who has more than enough blessings in life. She almost had everything. And one day, she seems to have forgotten about this happiness and decided to kill her self. And then she survives.
The book follows this remarkable book of revelations and discoveries and at the same time, a unique journey in finding your true self and even true happiness. When Veronika survived her suicide attempt, she was sent into a mental asylum and was told that the attempt made complications on her body and she’ll die anytime soon. But she knew she isn’t ready to die. There is still something missing and she’s on the run to search for it. This gives off a twist that is really the Paulo Coelho way. On this journey of life and death, the uncertain question lies in the abyss: what will really matter?
I admire how the book was written with this sort of excitement and at the same time, because it was written by the great Coelho, there are hidden messages for the readers to absorb. More than the story, I appreciated the moral and the wonderful meanings of Veronika’s actions – including suicide. There’s this mystery about death that made me excited while reading the book. The aspects behind searching for one’s value even made it more mind-opening and I really can’t put the book down.
Unlike other Coelho books, I can’t remember a time when I got bored reading on a few pages of this book. As a matter of fact, I finished it for 7 hours. It was a thrilling book and every Coelho fan should have at least read this book.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
After reading three Coelho books, I took a break and read a fantasy book which was making a noise during that time (Film-version set to be released in a few weeks). The Lightning Thief was the first Rick Riordan book I’ve read and I had no experience in his writing styles or even how the story goes on. Generally, I enjoyed the book – simply not as exciting as I have read other fantasy/science fiction books.
The Lightning Thief’s genre focuses on Greek Mythology and how it ended up in the modern world. It follows the story of a socially awkward boy who is suffering from ADHD and Dyslexia. It was discovered that he is, in fact, the son of the modern Poseidon; he was a Demigod. The story follows an immense range of twists and plots starting from how this boy, Percy Jackson, ended up as a fugitive of Olympus after being suspected of stealing Zeus’ lightning bolt to how he managed to successfully saved all the gods and even man-kind.
I loved how Rick Riordan became creative in exploring the ever-interesting Mythology of the Greeks. Reading it made me imagine that all the stuff in the book was possible – assuming the Greek gods are real. It was interesting, on another side because of the incorporation of the modern time – like Medusa wearing shades or Percy’s winged sneakers and a pen that can transform into a sword. What made it even more interesting are the unexpected twists in the story like who really is good and bad or something. And for a children’s book, it was great and an ultimate find.
I enjoyed the story but honestly, I believe I got used to Coelho’s style and I can’t help but notice how the book was intended for children from 9 to 12 years of age. I can’t blame Rick Riordan if that’s his target audience but I just really can’t suggest this to someone who is serious about reading mature and deep stuff. It was a fun book and a good read, nevertheless, so I can strongly recommend it to anyone who reads for fun and for the story.
I never had the chance to read the next four books of the series and even the books after the series that have been like the sequel of the series. Given only a chance, I would never doubt reading those in the future.
The Zahir by Paulo Coelho
You’ll oftentimes notice how Paulo Coelho maximizes the aspect of exploration and how it affects one’s perspective on life. In Zahir, Coelho tackles about the lost and found, the adventure within the search and the values within it.
Zahir focuses on this character, a writer, a married man. It follows his adventures while searching for his wife who left him and at the same time, learning stuff that the search had taught him. The book explored how the man has changed personally including how he now sees and loves his missing wife. In the end, after finding his missing wife, there was this question: is he ready to take her back? Zahir tackles mainly on the challenges that love brought to the couple, including meeting the other boy.
The twist in the story really made me enjoy it. However, I honestly would say that it is not one of my favourite Coelho books. I guessed I got used to Coelho’s short novels rather than this slightly-bulky book. Nevertheless, it was a good read. With all the twists and mind-puzzling lessons Coelho had told, I would still suggest it to anyone looking for something or to anyone who just love reading.
Witch of Portobello by Paulo Coelho
He did it again. Another amazing story has been introduced to me by Paulo Coelho. Like his other novels, Witch of Portobello has been successful in sending a striking message to the readers and not only a bunch-ful of wonderful stories.
Witch of Portobello centers on Feminism and Religion altogether. There are some aspects of courage and love and you’ll find it strong and striking how he wrote the whole novel.
It focuses on this girl named Athena. At an early age, she changed her name to Athena to change something within. She had actually everything but she felt that there is something missing. She then searches and stumbles upon different aspects especially the aspects of religion and being a woman. With her search, she has managed to establish this religion circle, with her on the lead – epitomizing and emphasizing that she is a woman with great potential.
The novel gives readers this sort of strength and by using a woman, Coelho managed to empower the perspectives of being a woman and what it takes to do an incredible peat albeit being a woman. It breaks barriers of the world’s view on being a woman and to the aspect of Religion, isn’t it usually a man who is leading, preaching and spreading?
I admire how Coelho quite uniquely wrote the whole novel. It was a collection of ‘interviews’ from different people who had experiences with Athena, who is now dead. It’s good to know that even with different perspectives, readers will be able to put together pieces of stories. And what’s even better in this form of writing is that you give variety to the personality of the protagonist and the story itself.
It’s an honest novel and very intriguing and striking yet peaceful. One of Coelho’s greatest stories.
Brida by Paulo Coelho
Paulo Coelho has this habit of making realistic life lessons and even spiritual help through fantasy. It is a clash, yes, but he managed to put it all together. Who could have thought that you can absorb life lessons, not only from a life story but from a fantasy story involving witches and more.
In Brida, Coelho explored the aspects of love and making decisions. He explored how one must look on love and how to deal with it and the choices you have to make to be happy.
Brida is an Irish girl who have a dream. To learn magic and become a witch. She meets this ‘wizard’ and tries to persuade him to teach her magic. However, in her search for magic, she found herself not only looking for magic, but beyond that and even better.
I admire Coelho’s style of writing because aside from the story, you can feel that he, the author himself, is talking to you via the words in every chapter. It’s like he’s giving you advice while telling a story and I liked that. There was a quotation in this book that really made me smile. “Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.” It’s like telling me that there’s always an answer, a hope and a future for everything. In Brida, Coelho describes how important it is to pick the right choices and the book tells us how important it is to fulfill your happiness.
I had fun reading the book. However, there are some points in the book where you’ll get bored – well, I’ve been, at some point and this may be the result of too much fascination on science fiction. So I really can’t blame this book.
A must-read.
Hoot and Scat by Carl Hiaasen
If you love nature, hug trees, protect the animals, or even eat the vegan way, then, you’ll love these environment-friendly books by Carl Hiaasen.
Hoot talks about this boy who meets an out-of-school youth who is working against the construction of a famous pancake house to help save the endangered burrowing owls. Scat, similarly, talks about a different boy who encounters the biggest twist in his life: his terror teacher and a bully have been helping an endangered panther and her cubs.
Both books explore the lives of the protectors of a specific endangered animal. I loved how Hiaasen put together the twists in each story and how he managed to relay the message of protecting these endangered animal. I also enjoyed the variation of the characters and their importance in the different plots.
Though the two books differ in character, setting and plot, you can still see the visible similarity. You’ll enjoy how Hiaasen managed to relay a complicated story and write it in a simple way. However, the target audience of these books are kids (9-12 y/old).
Generally, I enjoyed reading Hoot and Scat. Both books give you this calming sensation while reading them because the story is straight forward and simple. Both of them are must-reads! And if you like cute and simple book covers (Yes, I often judge a book by its cover), it’s going to be a plus!
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
Okay, let’ face the fact that not everyone loves the Twilight Saga because it’s a bit gay. Well, it is gay, at some point. But it doesn’t mean all books that Stephenie Meyer will write aside from the Vampire Saga will be gay as well.
After finishing the Twilight Saga, I took a short rest on reading books. Then I noticed this book, The Host, written by the same author. However, albeit the popularity of Meyer and her Vampire Novels that time, this book remained unnoticed and ignored in the shelves. I always look for adventure so I picked it up and bought it and might as well give it a try.
The Host is a Science Fiction book. The setting’s in a post-apocalyptic world, after aliens have succeeded in capturing the Earth. These so-called aliens are just simple silver blobs or thread-like spirit (similar to the memories in Harry Potter) that can capture the mind of a human being, thus becoming the host for the parasite. The person inside will be considered dead because the alien is now the one controlling the body with every movements, thoughts and decisions. Though these aliens aren’t violent and deadly, they managed to capture the minds of everyone in the world except some survivors.
The story of the books revolves around an alien, named Wanda, from the word Wanderer. She managed to get a human host for her body. Little did she know that the mind of the original owner of the body is still alive and is now talking to her. The friendship between the two (Wanda and Melanie, the human host) grew stronger until the funny twist. Wanda falls in love with a boy (still human) named Jared. Jared is Melanie’s boyfriend. This causes too much conflict between Melanie and Wanda.
I find it amusing because it’s really different from the Vampire Saga. The way Meyer wrote the book is also different. There’s no gay-ness in the book and though there’s a love story around, it’s not as cuddly and gay as Twilight. I enjoyed how Meyer constructed the plot and how she was able to deliver the story on Wanda’s perspective. The book gives me an impressions that it’s possible that Meyer didn’t write the Twilight Saga.
However, you’ll notice that the real excitement and all the adventures only start in the middle. You’ll notice that you’ve already finished the first half and nothing exciting is still happening. But when you reach the second half, you won’t stop reading it ’til you finish the novel.
It’s a must-read, I say.
The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer
I’ve read the series before it was on the peak of its popularity. I’ve read the series even before the whole world started hating it and calling it gay. And I won’t be one of the hypocrites who have read the series and then tell you how ugly it was.
Honestly, I love the plot of the Twilight Saga, except the extremely overrated love story of Bella and Edward. Maybe because I’m a big fan of Science Fiction and Fantasy and the whole vampire thing excites me. Well yes, it would have been better, maybe, if there’s more adventure than lovely cuddling and sweet moments between Bella and Edward.
I enjoyed how Stephenie Meyer managed to transform a not-so-cute love story into something wild and adventurous. Eclipse and Breaking Dawn are my favorites because they emphasize the adventure genre of the series. Honestly, I hate New Moon and it’s all-boring-and-sentimental plot about Bella’s depression over Edward’s departure. I enjoyed the vampire-versus-vampire theme of Eclipse and Breaking Dawn.
How Stephenie Meyer built her own world of Vampires also fascinates me, though you may thin it’s not unique because of the usual Vampire-versus-Werewolves theme involved. How she managed to develop the body formation of vampires and the whole vampire world with its protectors and secret-against-humans organization really excites me. Hiding the exaggeration of Bella’s love for Edward and vice-versa, I can say that this series is fantastic. But, yes, the book is 70% about puppy-and-desperate-love-affairs and I can’t blame the world for hating the series for that.
And guess what, the film version of Breaking Dawn will be released this month. Honestly, I am excited. I can’t wait to see the (spoiler alert) way Renesmee will come out of Bella’s womb. And yes, it’s justifiable that the producers decided to split the film into two parts. I am, however, scared that the first part will be just about Bella and Edward’s marriage and Bella’s dangerous pregnancy. And Jacob’s depression over Bella’s wedding.
One last bit. Yes, Being a vampire is included in my fantasy wishes. Next to being a dragon rider and a wizard.
The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini
I should thank Christopher Paolini, actually, for everything. It is his creations that made me love reading. Yes, Eragon was the first book I’ve read. I remember the times when I would read Eragon during classhours, breaks and before I sleep. I can’t simply stop!
In general, what to expect on this dragon-fantasy series? The four books mainly talk about the adventures of Eragon, a simple farmboy who discovers one of the last dragon eggs, as he tries to defeat the tyrant, Galbatorix. The dragons in the series are magical and can only be hatched to someone destined for them. Saphira, Eragon’s dragon, accompanies her rider to a very wild and twisting adventure in search for the freedom of the kingdom of Alagaesia. And what’s even more exciting about the plot is that you’ll be surprised on how Paolini twisted the different characters’ importance in the story.
I love how Paolini showed the growth of each character throughout the first three books. Every details were creatively put together and you’ll enjoy discovering new twists along the way. These twists, I guess, is the main selling point of the cycle (excluding dragons, of course) You’ll also enjoy learning the languages of Alagaesia and the magical words used by riders and sorcerers in the book because Paolini put a collection of the ancient words and its corresponding meanings. And if you like magic and sorcery, those are additional points.
However, you may find your self bored at some point due to the extreme length of each book. Eragon has 450+ pages, Eldest has 600+ and Brisingr has 700+. The fourth book, Inheritance, has 800+, as told by Paolini in an interview from Shurtugal.net. I don’t blame Paolini, though, because I realized that if you shorten the book, you’ll have no choice but to remove parts which are important on the plot . Maybe it would have been better if the cycle has 5 instead of 4 books.
The final book was remarkable. It’s the first time where you’ll meet Galbatorix, the tyrant of the series. It has been a very crucial part on me because at some point, I admired the character of Galbatorix and I really had to praise Christopher Paolini for making such feat – making Galbatorix really evil that you really want to kill him from Eragon to the moment in Inheritance where you’ll love him and worry that you might find yourself hating Eragon and his principles about what is good and evil. (Spoiler alert!) There’s also this scene in the book where I really had to put it down to think about what had just happened – when Eragon went to Vroengard (Sorry, I just had to put it down). It was a mind changing scene and I really had so much fun reading after that scene. It’s like the climax of the entire series! And no exaggeration.
(Spoiler alert!) The ending though was depressing. No one seems to have found happiness in the end except for the people in Alagaesia after defeating Galbatorix. I mean, for the main characters, including Saphira, Thorn and the other Green Dragon, it was simply depressing to win and not to gain something. But a great ending, nevertheless.
You may find your self comparing the general plot to Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. I find small similarities, actually, like Eragon is to Harry Potter and Galbatorix is to Voldemort and there’s a corresponding Horcrux, too! Nevertheless, you’ll find its uniqueness as well as you read along.
What I don’t understand is that why fewer people have realized how awesome this cycle is. When I go to bookstores, it’s always ignored and placed on a hidden shelf. Personally, this is devastating. I hope more people would enjoy this really great work of art.
The Welcome Note
I’ve been wanting to share my book experiences with everyone since I-don’t-know-when. I tried integrating book reviews on my personal blog but it won’t simply fit in. Then I tried setting up a page on the said personal blog. I posted the book covers and authors. However, I find it not useful because I didn’t put any reflection on a certain book.
This time, I decided to open a new, separate, blog dedicated only to book reviews. I plan to write a post per book or per series indicating how I liked it or the over all reading experience I had.
This blog will be 100% dedicated to books I’ve read or will be reading in the future. I’ll be putting a suggestion page if you want me to read a certain book you like.
THAT GUY IN ORANGE
GOODREADS
